Combustion liners in a gas turbine engine provide a combustion chamber and deliver hot gas to the turbine. The liner must be supported in a manner to accept gas loading and aircraft G-loads while tolerating expansion differentials caused by temperature.
Support of the liner near the upstream end increases the expansion movement of the downstream end with respect to the turbine, resulting in increased sealing difficulties at this high temperature zone.
Downstream end support, or aft mounting, of the liner has consisted of a long conical flange permanently attached to the combustor and bolted to the diffuser case. This structure is life limited by virtue of the inherent high stresses, particularly in areas near the flowpath where cooling holes are required to purge the gap between the combustor and the turbine vane. The conical flange also tends to block access to the aft panel attachments. Another method is a fish mouth seal which is susceptable to wear and does not provide axial support.